Nought to Ten
by LightWoman
Summary: Ten drabbles, written as part of a music shuffle challenge. See the rules of the challenge and you'll understand what I mean!


This is the result of an ipod shuffle challenge, which I saw in another fandom. I wanted to try it because I've really been struggling to write Lie to Me fic lately; I was worried I'd completely 'lost' my writing flow for Cal and Gillian altogether. Thankfully, I was able to type something up as each of these songs was playing, and it has helped me get back into the feel of writing. Hope you enjoy them :-)

**Rules of Challenge:**

**1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
>2. Turn on your music player and put it on randomshuffle.  
>3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!<br>4. Do ten of these, then post them.**

The Call – Regina Spektor

It started out as a feeling, which then grew into a hope. Perhaps they _could_ be more than friends. Perhaps they _could _find a way to make it work. Perhaps it _wouldn't _be a total disaster.

And the more she thought about it – and hoped for it – the more she realised that what she was imagining wasn't all that different to what they had now.

Yes, there would be some pretty big changes in their relationship if they were to become romantically involved (the physical intimacy, for one thing, which she had to admit, she thought about a _lot_), but they were so close already. Cosy evenings spent curled up in front of the television, quiet moments of secrets shared, hours of talking and laughing and enjoying each other's company – they had that already.

Just because everything was changing – or could change – didn't mean it would be totally different to before. What it would be, she knew, was better. Better than either of them could ever have hoped for.

As Long As He Needs Me – Cast of Oliver!

People wonder why she's stuck by him so long; they probably also wonder how long she will continue to stick by him. How much more she'll put up with, how many more exasperated sighs there will be, how many more days of digging him out of trouble and clearing up his mess – before she finally decides to turn away and just let him manage without her.

What they don't know is that she's been asking herself that same question for years. And so far, she's only really come up with one answer. To the first question – why does she stay with him? – she can only answer _because I love him_. And to the second – how long will she stay? – she knows the answer is _as long as he needs me_. She just hopes he never stops.

Is That All? – U2

"Is that all you've got to say?" she demanded, her hands on her hips, her brow furrowed in that way that always made him smile, even though it meant she was annoyed with him about something.

"Er... yeah, pretty much." He grinned at her, and she responded by rolling her eyes.

"Do you have _any idea at all_ what I've done for you these last two days? While you were off enjoying yourself..."

"Working a case, love," he interrupted.

"... at a strip club," she replied curtly. "I was the one who not only had to continue to run our business, convince the mayor that hiring you wasn't a complete waste of time, and deal with a very irate client who got your ever-so-nicely worded letter..."

He grinned excitedly. "Did he come in? What did he say? I must look out the tapes, I've got to see his face..."

"Cal!" Her voice rose in pitch as well as volume. "Will you listen to me? I know I'm your partner and working here is my job, but you waltz back in here and all you can say is 'Alright darling', and..."

"Oh," he said, taking a step closer to her and pulling her hand away from her hip, enclosing it in his own. "There was one more, little, thing I wanted to add... thank you."

She felt the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile. "That's all I wanted to hear, Cal," she said, as she let him pull her into a hug.

Don't Think Of Me – Dido

So he's with her, and not with me. At the end of another long day, another long case – it's her he chooses to spend the evening with.

I know I don't have a right to complain. I know that we're not a romantic partnership, I know that my jealousy is unfounded, I know that I don't have the right to tell him what to do or who to spend time with. I just know that the thought of him having drinks and then falling into bed with his ex-wife does not make me happy in the slightest.

Of course, I've never said anything. Not that I need to with him; he can probably tell with a split second glance how I feel about their rendezvous. But I wouldn't actually say it aloud. That would make it all too real, this issue I have. The anger I feel when he chooses her instead of me, when he knows (doesn't he? He must do) that if he asked, I'd join him for dinner in a heartbeat. I'd spend the night with him, I'd spend the rest of my life with him – if only he'd ask.

But he's with her, and not with me. And I doubt he's even thinking of me. What man thinks of his business partner when he's screwing his ex-wife? Or anyone, for that matter. Because if it's not Zoe, it'll be another woman. There'll always be a _her_ in this equation, even if it's just some nameless blonde from a bar, and there'll always be me. And he'll always be with her, and not with me.

It Must Have Been Love – Roxette

She knows she was in love with her husband; she fell in love with him, she agreed to marry him, she spent a few years (not as long as she'd always imagined, but still) happily married to him. There's no doubt in her mind that it was love. But it's over now. And that's what scares her more than anything.

Her relationship with Cal is very different, and if he knew she was comparing him to Alec he'd be far from happy. And, when she thinks about how she's felt about both men, she knows that her feelings for Cal are different, and stronger.

It's that that gives her hope, and it's that that Cal is always reminding her of, whenever he suspects she's worrying about their future. "Two failed marriages between us," she's said before, and he's been quick to ease her concerns. "But we weren't married to each other," he said, as if it really were that simple.

Maybe it is.

But she's been in love before, and that love is over. Can she really believe that she and Cal can make it work, that this love they share now will never end? She wants to, of course she does. But if one love can end, maybe another can too.

She just prays to God it never will.

Days Without Paracetamol – Snow Patrol

Gillian slammed her desk drawer shut, immediately regretting it when she felt the bang of wood against wood resonate inside her skull. How could she not have any painkillers in her desk? Or in her bag? She didn't even have time to go out and buy some more, she and Cal were meeting a new client in ten minutes.

Just as she was about to leave her office to find Heidi and ask her if she had anything she could take, she was met by Cal in the doorway.

"Morning, love," he said, quickly taking in her appearance. To the common eye, she looked professional, smart and flawlessly made up, but Cal knew better than that. "Late night, was it?" he asked, with a poorly concealed grin.

"Shut up, Cal," was her reply. Her hand went to her head, massaging her temple, and he shook his head.

"You need to learn to hold your drink, darling."

"I _can_ hold my drink, thank you very much. You should have seen how much I drank last night..."

His eyes widened slightly. "How much?"

She frowned at him. "Quite a lot."

"How much?"

"Just leave it, Cal, I need some painkillers before our meeting."

"I've got some in my office. I'll give them to you... on one condition." He gave her a wicked grin, and she let out a sigh.

"Which is...?"

"That this weekend, you show me just how much is _quite a lot_."

Wait – Sarah McLachlan

For a long time, he had waited for the right time to tell her how he felt. He had waited for the time when they could be together (assuming she felt the same way, of course). And it wasn't that he was disappointed, far from it.

She only seemed to grow more beautiful every day, and every moment they spent together he found himself falling even more in love with her. He didn't have to sit around waiting anymore for the right time to tell her he wanted more than friendship, and he didn't have to wait for her to not be dating someone else just so he could finally be honest.

Now, though, he had to wait for it all to fall apart.

It wasn't that he was a total pessimist, or that he had such doubt in their relationship. But, inevitably, all good things come to an end, and he knew that the bliss he felt at being in a relationship with Gillian Foster was not going to go on forever.

But until the moment when it did all fall apart, he was going to enjoy every second of being with her. Every last one.

Hey Now – Augustana

It's quiet in the street – most people are inside, tucked up in bed – but there's screaming in his head. It doesn't seem to matter where he goes, he can't get away from the voice shouting at him that, this time, he has screwed things up for good.

He's tried all his usual tricks. He's drunk a considerable amount of alcohol, he found a woman to take home, and got half way there before telling her he couldn't go through with it, and he's punched a wall.

But the buzz of the alcohol didn't last, having red lipstick smeared on his face doesn't make him feel any better, and his bleeding knuckles haven't made a damn bit of difference.

But maybe he doesn't _want_ to feel better. He certainly doesn't deserve to, not after what he's done. What he wants, really, when he thinks about it, is to feel nothing at all.

If only it were that easy.

This Is The Last Time – Keane

"Thanks, Gill. You know, for everything you..."

She holds up a hand to silence him. "I don't want to hear it, Cal."

"But..."

"Just... don't. This is the last time I'm going to do this. I realised something, this afternoon. My whole life has become about you. After my divorce I threw myself into my work, and I happen to work with you... but it's more than that now. You are my whole _life_, Cal, my whole goddamn life. Clearing up after you and looking after you is all I seem to do these days. And I can't spend my life trying – and often failing – to keep you out of trouble."

"Yeah, I... I get that, Gill, I do..." He trailed off helplessly. "I do appreciate it, you know? Everything you do. And... I want to be there for you too. Whatever you need. Not that you need anyone to keep you out of trouble, but..."

She sighed. "I care about you, Cal. You know I do. That's why we're in this mess."

"Let me be there for you," he said firmly. "I'll do more, make things more two-way."

"I don't need... that's not what..." She struggled to find the words to complete her sentence.

"Let me be there for you, the way you're always there for me," he said, placing a hand on her arm. "Please, Gill. You know if it wasn't for my daughter, my whole life would be about you too." She almost smiles at that, and he pulls her into a tentative hug. "You make everything right, Gill," he mumbles into her hair, and she wraps her arms around him, knowing it'll never be the last time she's there for him. Just perhaps the last time she's there for him without receiving a thank you.

I'm Not Calling You a Liar – Florence + the Machine

"Are you calling me a liar?" he asked, feigning shocked horror. "Gillian Foster. How dare you."

She giggled. "I'm not calling you a liar. I'm just calling you... period." She looked pointedly at the cards in his hand, and laughed as he tossed them on the table with a disgruntled snort.

"Lucky guess," he mumbled as she looked at the scattered cards in front of her. He reached for the pack and began to shuffle, but she quickly took them from him.

"Uh-uh. Not so fast. You know what happens when you lose in this game..."

"Gillian. You've won almost every bloody hand so far. You've taken off one shoe and all I've got left on is..."

"Oh, I'm well aware of what you have left on, Cal," she said lightly. "I'm also well aware of what you'll no longer have on, in about two minutes."

She met his eyes, and he couldn't help but grin at the way hers sparkled with mischief. "You're full of surprises, you know that Foster?" he said as he stood up.

"Mm hmm," she replied. "Now, come on. Take them off. And remember next time – when I say I am a master at strip poker, don't call me a liar."


End file.
